I just finished building my osc. 35mm adaptor, which works greater than I ever hoped for. Very small grain, low loss of light and silent enough. But my XL-1 is really not good enough for what I want to do. I have been thinking about buying the XL2...but the XL-2 is as you properly know dv...not hdv or even dvcam. How much image information is lost by using normal dv? I have bought the mini35 macrolens for the xl-1 which I want to reuse since it cost about 1200 euros which makes me want to go with the xl. So my questions are these: Do you suspect that canon will release an XL-2s within a year with dvcam or hdv? and is hdv really so much better?

One of the main limitations of DV video is it's horrible resolution (about 500 lines) compared to film's (about 4000 lines). HD video is just that much closer (I don't know how many lines but it's more towards 4000 than it is towards 500) towards getting the great look of film. There's no question that HD is the future of cameras (Consumer camcorders, at least).

However, since HD video is more detailed, it's much more likely to be sensitive to things like grain from ground glass, even if that is vibrating. It's inevitable that a better SLR DV adapter will have to be specially conceived for HD cameras.

Academy aperture is actually just under 3,000, not 4,000. HD is of course 1080. So it is not a lot closer toward 4000 than 500. However, because of film-to-film generation loss, poor projection quality (from such factors as simple as turning up the lamp brightness on the projectors), and forced limited print contrast range of from 6 to 8 stops, the 1920x1080 8 or 10 bit capabilities of high definition video converted to 35mm print film can be indistinguishable and thus quite useful for filmmakers who still want a feature film print release.

But, you can still do quite well with miniDV, including your XL-1. Evidence of this is that the visual effects industry has been working at about 1500 lines of resolution for years. And, hundreds of films are shot on 16mm and miniDV movies and blown up for feature film release. Some people (snobs in my opinion) may say such films "fall apart" in the theaters but the moviegoer who is not a film or camera buff doesn't leave the theater thinking about any perceived resolution loss.

Besides, what are you doing with your XL-1? There have been some really nice looking films shot on XL-1's.

I think that I will go with the XL-2...But I would be really annoyed if the XL-2s was realeased in a couple of months. But then again the XL-2 has more than twice the amount of pixels compared to the XL-1 and 28 days later didn't look all that bad.

To Michael: I attach it directly onto the XL-1 thereby loosing less F stops and also getting a better image. Actually I think that my adaptor lets in more light with a nikon 50mm F1,4 - than the stock canon lens.....

I have also been looking at the JVC GY-HD100. I think I should be able to convert my relaylens to fit it as well. But what are your thought upon that camera compared to the XL-2. In Denmark where I live the two cameras cost the same. If I were to import a pal GY-HD100. Where would you recommend me buying it?

I've just ordered a JVC GY-HD100 and they said that it would arrive about the 20th.

To Michael: The price was in dollars. I actually bought the official Mini35 relaylens which goes straight on the camera....

But now I'll be switching to JVC...so it worn't fit :-( I talked to P+S teknik and they told me that I would need to buy a relaylens for the JVC which cost 1000 euros....arghh. I'm pretty sure that the mini35 relaylens is just a closeuplens in a holster which fits the XL-1...so if they would just let me buy a holster for the JVC....

Can anyone give me some good advise??? Is it possible to get a Canon XL to JVC GY-HD100 converter????

It would make sense if they were the same lens, only with a different mount, since they are both 1/3" cameras. Maybe a good machine shop could convert the mount for you. I don't think there's a XL to HD100 converter on the market.
Is the lens a 50mm 35mm lens? What's the minimum focus distance? Do you still have to use an achromatic or condenser lens?